Sporting Jackets

Book jackets were functional appendages to books created to keep covers free of dirt and dust (hence the now antiquated term dust jackets). They’re also mini-posters designed to attract readers — like bees to the flower.

Twenty years ago, Seymour Chwast and I authored a book titled Jackets Required, a survey of these dust repellent graphic designs from the ’20s through the ’40s. I recently came across the outtakes from the book. Here are some of the more intriguing of the rejected collection, done by the well known (Arthur Hawkins Jr., George Salter, Irving Politzer W.A. Dwiggins, Otto Soglow, Ludwig Bemelmans) and the anonymous designers of their day.

Print’s February Issue
Don’t miss Print’s the Sex & Design issue, which takes a tasteful look at issues surrounding, well, sex and design. Read even more by Steven Heller, such as his feature article that explores the relationship between sex and advertising through the years, as well as his Dialogue and Evolution columns.

About Steven Heller

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes a weekly column for The Atlantic online and is the "Visuals" Columnist for the New York Times Book Review. He is also the author of over 160 books on design and visual culture. And he is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.